Collector Album

For the serious fan, buying every recording of a favorite artist is essential. It can be time consuming and expensive but getting your hands on that incredibly rare bit of plastic is worth all the trouble. A collector album is scarce or rare but not necessarily old. Some recent releases are collectible because they are in a limited edition set. Sometimes, records are sought after because there is a mistake on the artwork or the first few pressings have a different track listing. As soon as an artist goes up to that great recording studio in the sky, the records become more valuable.

In addition to the conventional releases, there are records in alternate packaging or in de luxe versions. There are rare live performances, unplugged sessions, outtakes and bootlegs. When it comes to superstars such as The Beatles, every time they breathed into a microphone is worthy of a listen. The UK and the US put out different compilations at different times and the demand for alternative Japanese releases is high. An artist may lay down a track twenty or thirty times before the best version is selected and these will surface in someone's attic every now and then like lost gems. The quality of the collector album varies a lot, especially when dealing with outtakes and live gigs.

The most successful band in history, The Beatles is a collector's dream. One little, rare gem is a 1982 Japanese release of their second album, With The Beatles that was pressed on red vinyl. This has the added extra of printed lyrics. Another rarity is the British box set of the Fan Club Flexidiscs. This is a collection of all seven recordings that the band did exclusively for the fan club each Christmas and is in the original picture sleeve.

Elvis Presley is an artist with an extremely long recording career; therefore there are many opportunities for a limited edition of a collector album or 7" vinyl. Elvis Presley Sunshine is a 2006 exclusive Italian picture disc, which collects all the sessions done at the Sun Studios. This is the small studio in Memphis where the King started out and features his old buddies, guitarist Scottie Moore and bass player Bill Black. Elvis starred as a cowboy with Native American blood in the movie Flaming Star. There is a scarce vinyl recording of the soundtrack from Mexico that features Are You Lonesome Tonight? and It's Now or Never.

Other artists in demand from the dedicated collector include Eric Clapton, U2, Elton John and Madonna. There are magazines that run classifieds for people requesting a collector album or wanting to swap one. What may be worthless to one person could be gold to someone else.

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